Another one followed me home! Singer 15-91 from Canada.
 

*waves*

Hello!
I have just recently acquired another Singer 15-91, with a potted motor. She's in rough shape and was about to be put in the rubbish heap! *gasp* Of course me know what gems these gals can be I promptly snatched her up in her *whispers* plastic case, and brought her home!

If machines were in hospitals she would have been put on the Critical Care wing. This is a peek of what I first saw when I cracked her open today. It's the before and after. I really just only puzzled out the bobbin area while the rest of the machine received liberal dosing of oil. It took all day just to get her moving, stiffly. So on goes more oil while doing a wire brush down under the deck. She looks like she was a survivor of a flood.

The wiring is terrible and terrifying, luckily she's so rusty that I didn't even try to plug her in. She couldn't even move if she wanted to, she jiggled a bit but there was no needle movement. If you know where i can find the brass connectors for the inside of bakelite connector I would be most appreciative. I don't even wanna think about the state of the motor...yet.

Before:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]479280[/ATTACH]

After:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]479281[/ATTACH]

The bobbin case is stuck so it's soaking tonight.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]479282[/ATTACH]

Before:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]479283[/ATTACH]

After:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]479284[/ATTACH]

Serial Number: JC756737, I could only narrow down the year of 1948 via the mysingerstory.com site. Finding the month would be great. I couldn't find it on the ISMACS.net site. It looks like i have 2, 1948 ladies.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]479285[/ATTACH]

As always, here's an album with more, HQ photos. They're still being uploaded so by Monday evening it should be all sorted out. http://imgur.com/a/RuelQ

I'll keep you posted on the motor and other bits as I get to them.

congrats on your new machine. the nice thing about this machine is they are all metal and rust can be removed and once cleaned and oil they will keep on running and running.... just be patient. i heard that soaking it in a bath of kerosene works wonder.

True, true I love the fact that she's all metal. It makes things more interesting. Right now I've been scrubbing under her deck with a small wire brush and oil. As you can see most of the stuff is coming off slowly but surely. I have a few things soaking right now. Tomorrow I think I'll crack open the motor and see how bad it is.

Poor baby! I am glad she is getting some care at last. They are the best! I think I had better give mine a hug today!

All she's needs is love and care. It looks like she is already getting that from the before and after I see!

foufymaus,

Your post was amusing and also inspiring! I love it - can't wait to see the progress.

Fouf,

I just looked at your photo album - WOW, the decals are in great shape! That is a good sign. Probably little wear on the machine. This is exciting!

What did you soak the rusty parts in?

Pictures are WAY TO BIG for my dial up. Can't see them.

Joe

joe,

here are the pics. i resized them for you. let me know if it works.

Singerguy, Thanks a bunch. Ewww, it does look like that machine has been wet. Have you tried Evapo-Rust? I find that works good. Joe

I'll have to pick some up next time i'm in town. Right now i have a wired brush, a dremmel and time. LOL I find on chrome aluminum foil and water will remove . White vinegar is good if it's not nickel/shiny and you have a bit of time for it to soak So basically things that aren't seen. I also uploaded another album with smaller pics. So you can get the entire experience of checking out all the rust. *wink* ;) http://imgur.com/a/G9BRe

I have another one, she's a dream to sew on! I absolutely adore how quiet she is compared to a couple of others. Especially compared to my tractor Singer.

She's getting the once over. LOL I am actually quite hesitant about cracking open her motor. I didn't work on her today because I needed to work on some hand embroidery for a baby quilt. The mother's due date is the end of june so i have 2 weeks to finish 3 more 10 -inch squares, piece the 4 patches, sandwich, quilt and bind. So... yea a bit of procrastination is in the works. hahaha.

*grin* thanks, I'll keep ya posted. When I finally put the plug in and do her first stitches, I'll totally do a little video.

Depending on the metal and it's finish, kroil (the oil the creeps) I found the stash in my dad's 'office/garage', which btw smells like starting fluid so it's stinky and oddly pink., tri-flo because it's rec'd here, white vinegar if it doesn't have a chrome/nickle finish basically if it's shiny or should be shiny don't use it on that.

Right now on this machine, I've just used Dawn and a soft sponge and an old t-shirt to remove surface grime. Rust under neath is with a small wire brush but not on chrome or shiny bits. On the shiny bits I've been using a balled up piece of aluminum foil and plain water. It makes things shiny with just a tiny bit of effort.

eep?! Pressure.... oh noes.... lol I'll make sure to keep all of ya updated on her progress. :D

foufymaus, I started cleaning a 1912 New Home treadle last week. I didn't know (and still don't know) if the slides on the bed of the machine were chrome or steel, but they were pretty rusty. I used the aluminium and water method and that did remove the rust, and I can read the numbers, but it didn't make it shine. Is there any thing that would make the chrome shine? Is there such a thing as chrome wax? Or do you think the slides are steel?

An auto parts store should have a chrome polish amongst all of the car care items.

Thanks for your reply, Mark.

Did you say you just picked that off a giv-a-way pile at the street? I cannot believe that. Probably from the home of a real young couple that don't have sewing parents/grandparents. Anyway, congratulations. What you are doing is amazing to me. I haven't had the gumption to go that far into restoring a machine. Daddy made a believer out of me about "breaking something that didn't need to be bothered."

yep! it wasnt a give away pile it was next to a trashbin.

*grumble grumble* bakelite screws suck muchly. one of them had a previous break and repair that i didnt notice until after the head snapped. luckily i was putting it back together. its was one or the bushings. arrrgghh! *scurries off to ebay...*

Will be watching your progress. :)

A 6 Second vine video of her first stitches!!! I didn't wire the lamp in because i forgot to label the 'switch' wire and I have to crack open the lamp anyway because i need to check the connections.
https://vine.co/v/MTi0vTI3UIu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c6qNMR5nJc

As promised her first stitches... her only stitches. haha. It went then i could hear the motor trying but the wheel wouldn't turn anymore. So back to the drawing board. lol At least I know she can go! Oh yea, I totally rewired the potted motor. There was oil on one of the bushings and the armature the copper part looks worn down. Replacements? Ideas? anyone?

Cleaned off some green stuff (oxidation) from the terminals. I had to reuse the old foot controller but after a good scrub down to where everything was shiny and new looking, it works. Then I took it off and put it on my other 15-91 because i really hated that other foot controller. LOL

So far I've:
1. wiped down the body of the machine with dawn dish detergent.
2. wire brushed anything rusted that was not chrome or painted.
3. ball of aluminum foil and water for any chrome or shiny parts that needed rust removal.

4. Oil. Oil. Oil.
5. Soaked parts, a couple of rusty screws and the thread cutter, in white vinegar; not anything that has chrome/nickel plating for rust removal or penetrating oil (bobbin hook, that really rusty bit i posted earlier).

6. continued spot cleaning rust, and oiling. Let rest for a few days
7. More oil.
8. motor removal, cleaning and rewiring. Here I snapped the head of one of the bakelite screws that holds the bushing in the motor. Turns out it had broken before and someone glued it together. I didn't see it so when I was putting the motor back together the glue that was there didn't hold.

9. slap everything back together after replacing old wires that needed replacing.
10. Borrowed bobbin hook and a foot from my other machine for test.
11. Test. semi successful.

I think there's still a bit of stick somewhere inside. Which is why it didn't go as it needed to go.

Things still needing to be done:
1. removing bobbin from bobbin race if possible. That blasted thing is still glued together. LOL
2. shellac touch up and paint fixing. <-- probably will be a while for this step, because i'm chicken. lol.
3. purchase new foot controller I swiped the last one for another machine.
4. new bulb and rewire of lamp.
5. new bakelite screw for the bushing.

Any whoo... That all so far. LOL I did promise a video of her first stitches. :D So here ya go!

She is one lucky girl. I would never feel confident enough to let her follow me home, I 'm still too new at refurbishing machines to tackle her. Please post steps of the process you use. Your video shows she will be a great find, I love my 15-91. Good luck.